Russian Syntax

In the Russian language, the word order is rather flexible. Though the Russian sentence is generally arranged subject-verb-object, the grammar rules allow to use virtually any combination of subject, verb and object within the sentence.For example, the sentence "I went to the shop" can be translated into Russian in the following ways:

Я пошёл в магазин. (I went to the shop)

Я в магазин пошёл. (I to the shop went)

Пошёл я в магазин. (Went I to the shop)

Пошёл в магазин я. (Went to the shop I)

В магазин я пошёл. (To the shop I went)

В магазин пошёл я. (To the shop went I)

Usually, the new information, or information that wants to be stressed is placed at the end of the sentence. Logical stress at the end of a sentence can be seen through the following examples:

В прошлом году мой друг построил дом возле озера. (Last year a friend of mine built a house near a lake.)

В прошлом году построил дом возле озера мой друг. (Last year built a house near a lake my friend.)

The stress is on the fact that my friend, not an enemy, built a house near a lake.

Verb PositionThe position of the verb in the sentence can also change the style of what is being said. Usually, the sentence starts from the verb if a speaker wants to communicate past events, as in a narrative.

Было это в январе. Шёл я по улице. Вдруг вижу - ты идёшь навстречу...(It was in January. I was walking down a street. Suddenly I saw you going towards me...)The verb put in the end of the sentence is characteristic for some questions, such asКак тебя зовут?(What is your name?)Где ты был?(Where have you been?)as well as for emphasizing an action:Они всё ещё гуляют.(They are still walking.)Где живёшь я так и не знаю.(I still don't know where you live.)The verb put in the middle of the sentence is the most common case in Russian. Multiple negativesUnlike in standard English, multiple negatives are necessary in Russian. For instance, the use of multiple negatives can be seen in the literal translation of the Russian phrase: никто никогда никому ничего не прощает [nʲɪkˈto nʲɪkɐɡˈda nʲɪkɐˈmu nʲɪtɕɪˈvo nʲɪ prɐɕˈɕæjɪt]. This phrase literally means, "No one never to no-one nothing does not forgive," but it is translated as, "No-one ever forgives anyone for anything."

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